Lan Qiren/History
Youth According to an interview with the author, Lan Qiren was even stricter in his youth than he was as a teacher. After his insistence on following the rules nearly cost Jiang Fengmian and Wei Changze their lives during a night-hunt, Cangse Sanren shaved his beard in retaliation. Author Interview Raising Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji Lan Qiren took over the leadership of the Gusu Lan Sect in all but name after his elder brother Qingheng-Jun's retirement into seclusion following his marriage to Madam Lan. Lan Qiren raised the two nephews produced from their marriage entirely on his own, teaching them strictly so that they would not repeat their father's mistakes. Novel, Chapter 64 Lan Qiren permitted Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji to see their mother once a month, and when Madam Lan died, simply told them that there was no need to visit anymore. When Lan Wangji stubbornly continued to approach his mother's quarters month after month, Lan Qiren scolded him. Novel, Chapter 64 Teaching in the Cloud Recesses Lan Qiren's pupils were regarded as excellent students, especially his nephews. As a result, he became somewhat renowned for his ability to turn feeble students into strong cultivators. An opportunity to study at the Cloud Recesses was highly regarded. Novel, Chapter 13 When Lan Wangji was fifteen, Lan Qiren invited several students from prominent sects to study at the Cloud Recesses for a year, including Wei Wuxian, Jiang Cheng, Nie Huaisang, and Jin Zixuan. Novel, Chapter 13 Lan Qiren quickly grew frustrated by Wei Wuxian's continued flouting of the Gusu Lan Sect's over 3,000 Rules,Novel, Chapter 13 and became irate when Wei Wuxian later inquired about the possibility of Demonic Cultivation. Novel, Chapter 14 Once Wei Wuxian engaged in a brawl with Jin Zixuan over the latter's insult of Jiang Yanli, Lan Qiren summoned both Jiang Fengmian and Jin Guangshan to discuss the matter. Afterwards, Jiang Fengmian returned home with Wei Wuxian, though it is unknown whether Lan Qiren expelled Wei Wuxian, or whether Jiang Fengmian simply decided that Wei Wuxian leaving was for the best. Novel, Chapter 18 Sunshot Campaign After the Qishan Wen Sect was driven out of Gusu, Lan Qiren defended the region with great tenacity. Novel, Chapter 48 Bloodbath at the Nightless City In the aftermath of the Bloodbath of Nightless City, Lan Wangji hid Wei Wuxian away with the last of his spiritual energy. Lan Xichen then recruited Lan Qiren and thirty-three elders who had always thought highly of his brother to search for the two. Novel, Chapter 99 After two days, they found the pair hidden in a cave in Yiling. Lan Qiren was incensed by Lan Wangji's evident love for Wei Wuxian. For the first time in his life, Lan Wangji dared to disobey his uncle: when Lan Qiren demanded an explanation, Lan Wangji replied that there was none. Novel, Chapter 99 Although Lan Wangji managed to injure all thirty-three elders, he was ultimately taken back to the Cloud Recesses and whipped thirty-three times with the Discipline Whip for his actions. Novel, Chapter 99 Lan Qiren then led the Gusu Lan Sect in the First Siege of the Burial Mounds to defeat Wei Wuxian, although their sect ultimately made little difference in the battle. Novel, Chapter 68 Once Lan Wangji heard of Wei Wuxian's death, he insisted on returning to the Burial Mounds. Lan Qiren was distressed and angered when Lan Wangji returned to the Cloud Recesses with the sick but alive Wen Yuan. But when Lan Wangji became drunk on Emperor's Smile and branded himself on his chest to match Wei Wuxian's brand, Lan Qiren not only refrained from scolding him, but allowed his grieving nephew to keep Wen Yuan. Novel, Chapter 111 Demonic Left Arm Thirteen years later, Lan Qiren attempted to perform Evocation on the Demonic Left Arm that Lan Wangji had discovered to have killed four people in Mo Village. During the elders' summoning of the spirit, the demonic left arm's powerful energy injured all but Lan Wangji. Novel, Chapter 19 Although Lan Qiren was knocked unconscious, he immediately awoke when the resurrected Wei Wuxian began purposefully playing his bamboo flute with errors. After shouting at Wei Wuxian to stop, he spat out a mouthful of blood before falling back into a coma.Novel, Chapter 19 Second Siege of the Burial Mounds Lan Qiren had only just begun to recover after the Discussion Conference at Carp Tower, when Wei Wuxian was revealed to have returned to the world. Novel, Chapter 64 A Second Siege was proposed by Jin Guangyao, who had secretly used the Stygian Tiger Seal to summon Fierce Corpses to the Burial Mounds. As about a hundred junior disciples had been kidnapped as bait for the corpses, Lan Qiren again led the Gusu Lan Sect into a siege to save the juniors. He was profoundly disappointed when he arrived to find that Lan Wangji had sided with Wei Wuxian. Novel, Chapter 68 As the first wave of corpses arrived, Lan Qiren was among the cultivators who lost their spiritual powers. Although he had no desire to retreat into the Demon-Slaughtering Cave, he prioritized the lives of those under his command, and insisted they retreat. Lan Qiren cut his own hand to repair an old array with his blood to keep the corpses at bay. Novel, Chapter 79 Once Lan Wangji placed a Silence Spell on Su She for insulting Wei Wuxian, Lan Qiren refused to lift the spell, realizing that there was indeed something suspicious about their loss of power. Despite his personal animosity towards Wei Wuxian, Lan Qiren listened as the latter reasoned that Su She had tricked his own disciples into suppressing everyone's spiritual power through an altered spiritual melody, a hypothesis that Lan Wangji then proved correct. Novel, Chapter 80 After the array was destroyed and the corpses entered, Lan Qiren encouraged the cultivators to fight with their swords despite their lack of spiritual power. He astonished Wei Wuxian with his skills, and at one point saved the life of Ouyang Zizhen. Novel, Chapter 81 Return to Lotus Pier After the end of the siege, Lan Qiren joined those who traveled to Lotus Pier to wait for their spiritual powers to recover. He was present when Sisi and Bicao arrived to share their stories on Jin Guangyao's misdeeds. However, while the majority of cultivators quickly rushed to judgement, Lan Qiren listened to Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji's suspicions that Sisi's rescuer was not the man of justice that Sect Leader Yao declared him to be. Novel, Chapter 86 The Guanyin Temple Aftermath Lan Qiren was among the cultivators who followed Fairy's alert that someone of the Gusu Lan Sect was endangered at the Guanyin Temple. Upon arriving, Lan Qiren was dismayed to discover Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian standing extremely close together, and that Lan Xichen could barely speak in his grief over having killed Jin Guangyao. He suddenly thought that his nephews caused him much worry, because they did not listen to him anymore. Novel, Chapter 110 The Family Banquet After Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian eloped, Lan Qiren was rumored to be frustrated with the juniors – presumably Lan Sizhui and Lan Jingyi – who continued to night-hunt with Wen Ning. Novel, Chapter 113 Once Lan Wangji returned, Lan Qiren consented to allow Wei Wuxian to stay within the Cloud Recesses, though Wei Wuxian noted that Lan Qiren looked ready to have a heart attack whenever he saw him. Novel, Chapter 114 Upon Lan Wangji's insistence, Lan Qiren permitted Wei Wuxian to attend a family banquet in the Cloud Recesses, though he avoided looking at him for much of the time. At the end of the banquet, he proceeded to scold Lan Wangji for eating the food Wei Wuxian disliked for him, and Lan Xichen for the mistakes he made in his speech. Moreover, Lan Qiren forbade the juniors from speaking to Wei Wuxian, a decree they promptly forsook when he was no longer around. Novel, Chapter 116 Animation Divergence In the Animation, Lan Qiren had a much more active role in the Sunshot Campaign. He instigated the idea of overthrowing the Qishan Wen Sect, and began persuading powerful sects to join together. Eventually, Lan Qiren invited these sects to the Cloud Recesses for a meeting. Although most sects agreed, Jin Guangshan was hesitant until Lan Xichen showed him countless minor sects who also wished to fight. Animation, Episode 13 Web Series Divergence In the Web Series, after learning that Wen Xu was attacking the Cloud Recesses, Lan Xichen told Lan Qiren to leave with the ancient books. Lan Qiren, however, insisted that Lan Xichen, as the leader of the sect, had to leave. He then stayed and faced Wen Xu in battle until the arrival of Lan Wangji. Web Series, Episode 11 Additionally, Lan Qiren whipped Lan Wangji three hundred times with a regular whip, instead of thirty-three times with the discipline whip. Web Series, Episode 43 Audio Drama Divergence While the Novel specifies that only Lan Qiren or Lan Xichen would have the authority to strike Lan Wangji with the discipline whip,Novel, Chapter 11 the audio drama explicitly identifies Lan Qiren as the whipper, and depicts Lan Xichen as horrified at his uncle's sentence. Audio Drama, Season Three, Episode 13 References